DVD review: Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens

This photo provided by Disney/Lucasfilm shows Daisy Ridley, right, as Rey, and John Boyega as Finn, in a scene from the film, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," directed by J.J. Abrams.

Published:09:12Tuesday 19 April 2016

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This week’s DVD release takes us back to a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. We’re looking at Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens.

Set many years after Return of the Jedi, the film takes place amidst the ruins of the Empire in a galaxy once more under threat from the Dark Side. Luke Skywalker is missing and the evil Jedi Kyloe Ren, played by Adam Driver, is hunting him down.

The good guys are also looking for the missing Jedi and it isn’t long before Rey, Daisy Ridley playing a feisty young lady with a mysterious past, and Finn, John Boyega as a storm trooper who develops a conscience, join the search.

They hook up with old faces like Harrison Ford’s Han Solo, Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia, and Chewie, as well as new characters like Oscar Isaac’s Poe Dameron.

Their mission? To seek out the missing man and prevent a devastating new weapon from destroying the galaxy’s more freedom loving residents.

The blockbuster is the first new Star Wars film since Disney bought the property from creator George Lucas for eye-wateringly huge sums of cash. With J.J. Abrams taking directorial duties expectations have been high.

Many fans had been disappointed with our last outings to the Star Wars universe, Lucas’ own prequel trilogy, but any concerns that we were looking at another mis-step have been well and truly settled. The Force Awakens is a success.

Abrams has gone to great lengths to include, and often recycle the elements which made the original trilogy so compelling.

The battle between good and evil, characters with mysterious pasts, quirky droids, dad-issues – they’re all in the mix and they’re all handled very well.

The Force Awakens was an absolutely vital step in establishing a new, expanded Star Wars universe and it ticks all the boxes. The stage has been set for the franchise to boldly go where no… hold on, wrong sci-fi classic. The stage has been set for a triumphant return to a much-loved galaxy.